On November 20, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on climate change and the federal flood insurance and crop insurance programs. This report is similar to one GAO released in 2007 that found that climate change could increase the financial risks associated with the federal government’s insurance programs. The new report focuses […]
Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs
The Top 6 Improvements with New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy
As farmers consider signing up, we look at why Whole-Farm Revenue Protection is better than its predecessor policies. … Read More →
What Does “Good Farming Practices” Really Mean?
In October 2014, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) released a 76-page Good Farming Practices (GFP) handbook. The handbook defines all of RMA’s policies and procedures related to GFP. Good Farming Practices: “The production methods utilized to produce the insured crop and allow it to make normal progress toward maturity and produce at least the yield used to […]
Press Release: New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy Aims for Diversified Farms
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Wolfe, (202) 547-5754, pwolfe@sustainableagriculture.net New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy Aims for Diversified Farms November 6, 2014, Washington, DC – Diversified farmers will now have access to a improved crop insurance option with USDA’s release today of the new Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) crop insurance policy. This will be the first […]
USDA Rolls Out New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy
Whole Farm Revenue Protection allows farmers to insure all their crops, livestock, and nursery and greenhouse crops under one policy… Read More →
USDA Begins Certification Process for Conservation Compliance
On Friday, October 31, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a revised certification document, known as an AD-1026 form, that will allow farmers who receive crop insurance premium subsidies to certify that they are in compliance with highly erodible land (HEL) and wetland conservation requirements, collectively known as “conservation compliance.” In conjunction with the […]
RMA Levels the Playing Field on Premium Subsidies for New Whole Farm Revenue Protection Insurance
On October 3, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced that premium subsidy levels established for the new Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) crop insurance policy will be in line with the premium subsidies available to producers selecting whole-farm units under the Revenue Protection plans of insurance. If a farmer has two or more crops and meets […]
Congress Extends 2014 Funding Levels through December 11
On Thursday, September 18, the Senate passed a short-term funding extension, known as a “continuing resolution” (CR), to fund the federal government through December 11. The CR extends fiscal year (FY) 2014 funding levels as well as policy provisions known as appropriations “riders.” The House passed this temporary funding measure earlier this week, and the […]
4 Important Policy Decisions that Will Impact Farmers, Food, and the Environment in 2015
Taking a look at Congress’ work over the next few months, here are four appropriations decisions that will have a major impact on farmers, food, and the environment…. Read More →
New Report Finds that Wetland and Grassland Destruction is Common
On Tuesday, July 1, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) published a new report on the status of wetland and grassland loss in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the upper Midwest and Plains States. Wetlands The report finds that between 1997 and 2009, net wetland acreage declined by roughly 6,200 acres per year. […]
New Beginning Farmer and Conservation Crop Insurance Changes Announced
On Monday June 30, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) released an interim rule outlining seven actions it is taking to modify crop insurance inline with the requirements of the 2014 Farm Bill, to increase access for beginning farmers and encourage natural resource conservation. NSAC supported the inclusion of several […]
Melone Testifies at House Agriculture Committee in Support of New Farmers
On Wednesday, June 25, the House Agriculture Committee’s subcommittee that deals with rural development and farm credit issues held an oversight hearing on credit availability in rural America. As is so often the case in these types of hearings, it quickly turned into a slug fest between the Farm Credit System and the banking industry […]
Progress Report on Organic Price Elections for Crop Insurance
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a new report updating Congress on USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) progress towards completion of organic price elections for all insurable organic crops. USDA has improved crop insurance offerings for organic farmers, but report makes it clear there is still a lot more work to do. With […]
Down Payment Loans Help Beginning Farmers Buy Farmland
USDA’s Down Payment Loan Program has been around for over 20 years, and this post is the second in a two part series that examines the impact this program has had on growing new farmers over the past 20 years. To read the first post in the series, click here. To learn more about credit programs to […]
Federal Farm Loans Have Increased Access to Land for New Farmers Over the Past 20 Years
USDA’s Down Payment Loan Program has been around for over 20 years, and this post is the first in a two part series that examines the impact this program has had on growing new farmers over the past 20 years. Stay tuned for our second installment later this week! Access to affordable farmland is one […]
Improving Risk Management Options for Diversified Farms
On May 21, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the launch of a pilot revenue insurance product for diversified farming operations — Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP). Secretary Vilsack’s announcement contained some details on the policy, but the full policy is not expected to be publicly available until later this summer. The 2014 Farm Bill […]
House Subcommittee Passes 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill to fund USDA and FDA programs in 2015… Read More →
Busy Week Ahead for USDA Funding in 2015
Next week is a big week for agriculture appropriations. On Tuesday, May 20, both the House and the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees will debate and almost certainly pass their respective agriculture funding bills for fiscal year (FY) 2015. The full Senate Appropriations Committee will then take up the agriculture appropriations bill on Thursday, May 22. […]
Risk Management Education Funding Available
Risk Management Education Partnership Program The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), has announced available funds totaling approximately $2 million for the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program. The deadline for applications is June 30, 2014. The Risk Management Education Partnerships Program is a competitive cooperative partnership agreement program that provides crop insurance education […]
NSAC and MSU Host Roundtable to Strengthen Relationship Between Lenders and Farmers of Color
On April 23, 2014, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), in partnership with NSAC member Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and with assistance from the Opportunity Finance Network, hosted a forum in Washington, D.C. to bring farmers of color and their advocates together with community lending institutions to discuss ways to increase […]
Guest Post: Disaster Assistance Program Sign-up Begins
Editor’s Note: We want to thank James Robinson of the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI) for this guest post on disaster assistance programs that were restored in the 2014 Farm Bill. RAFI works to cultivate markets, policies, and communities that sustain thriving, socially just, and environmentally sound family farms. As RAFI’s Research and Policy Associate, […]
More 2015 Funding Hearings – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing Programs
This week, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held hearings on the Obama Administration’s FY 2015 funding requests for three USDA mission areas – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which includes the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee also held […]
House Budget Resolution Moves Ahead
Budget Resolution Overview On Tuesday, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the House GOP’s Fiscal Year 2015 House budget Resolution as a symbolic representation of party priorities and fiscal austerity. It is likely to squeak through passage on the House floor, but that is as far as it will go. The Senate is not planning to […]
Senate Bill Would Limit Crop Insurance Premium Subsidies
Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) have introduced a bill (S. 2201) that would place a hard limit on crop insurance premium subsidies. The bipartisan bill would limit payments to $70,000 per farm per year and is estimated to save over $1 billion over the next ten years. Crop insurance premium subsidies are […]